You know what's stupid?

Fishing. Fishing is stupid.

I know, I've been living in Cassardis since birth, and Cassardis is a fishing town, so I should love fishing! I should be a pro at it! Nope. Not the case at all.

"Wow, cous, I can't believe you let that one get away! It was small too!" Valmiro laughs, jokingly poking fun at my failure.

With an annoyed huff, I take a piece of bait and stick it onto the hook, grumbling "Shut it Val, you know fishing isn't my forte…"

Quina comes up to the two of us, placing her hand on my shoulder with a sweet smile on her face. "Having some trouble there (y/n)? Would you like me to help you out some?" Valmiro instantly looks to her, his smile widening. Seeing that look on his face not being directed towards me, a strange feeling came over me, and it was all I could do to keep from shoving Quina away. Moving away from her hand, I drop my fishing pole onto the dock, resulting in a dull thud. Not wanting to lash out at either of my friends, I take angry strides to the beach.

"H-hey cous!" I hear Valmiro cry out from behind me. "Where are you going? I thought we could fish for a bit longer! (y/n)?" Part of me hoped he would run after me, but another part of me didn't want to even look at him and his big blue eyes ever again.

Once at a comfortable distance, I let myself sink down onto the warm sand, alone with my thoughts and the sound of the ocean. I have no idea what came over me back there...was it jealousy? Could I be jealous of Quina? I mean, I suppose it's possible… She's tall, tan, and beautiful with her deep brown hair and graceful figure. She's well loved by everyone in the village, and I've never seen her mess up at anything.

Then there's me. Me with my messy (h/c) hair, me who's always getting berated by the village chief, me who can't even catch the tiniest fish. No wonder Valmiro got so happy when he saw her, it wouldn't be a stretch for him to be infatuated with her.

I let out a sigh once Valmiro enters my mind. Valmiro...I've been in love with him for years, ever since we were kids. Sure, he might be a bit clumsy and air headed at times, but he's so...brilliant.

I first realised my feelings back when I was 11, and he was 13. We had been sitting on the beach on a day much like today, and I had gotten seaweed wrapped around my foot and had started freaking out, thinking it was some sort of slimey monster coming to drag me to the ocean. He just laughed, before showing that it was just a piece of seaweed. I had been so embarrassed, but then a question popped into my head. We weren't that close to the shore, so how did the seaweed end up here? Valmiro started explaining to me the way the moon pulls the ocean to form currents, and how after a bit of time, current after current had brought this seaweed onto the shore, and eventually far enough up for my leg to become tangled in it.

The explanation itself wasn't all that interesting, but seeing his eyes light up as he rambled was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. He almost seemed to radiate, and it became immediately clear that this was something that he cared about, and that he knew so much about this topic that he was struggling to get only one sentence out at a time.

Ever since that day, I've been falling more and more in love with him. But it seemed like he never saw me as more than a friend, and he treated me the way one might treat their little sibling. Eventually I just gave up on the fantasy of him ever returning my feelings.

My reverie was interrupted by the sounds of someone approaching. Looking up, I saw Valmiro standing a few feet away, fidgeting his hands as the breeze whipped his messy jet black hair around his face.

"Hey, cous… Mind if I take a seat?" he asks, taking the spot next to me once I approve his request with a nod.

We sit in a comfortable silence for a while, he and I, before a low chuckling from him catches my attention.

"What?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"Nothing, nothing…" His chuckling subsides, a small smile on his face. "Just remembering something that Quina said."

I instantly feel myself deflate. "Oh…"

"It was about you, actually. She said "(y/n) is as blind as a bat.""

"Huh? Why'd she say that?"

He rubs the back of his neck, a light pink blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Well...because you can't see my obvious feelings for you…"

Shocked. That's how I felt. "F-feelings?" I could feel my own face heating up, so I rushed to look away from him, lest he see my blush.

"Wow...you really don't know, do you?" Chuckling, he continues, "I've had a crush on you ever since I was 15 years old...maybe it's even more than a crush.."

I don't believe it. Is this really happening? Is it a joke? A dream?

"(y/n)...I think I may be in love with you…" He flashes a hopeful smile.

If this is a dream...I don't wanna wake up anytime soon.

"...I think I love you too, Val." I smile back.

His face breaks into a grin as he leans forward, wrapping an arm around me and pressing a kiss to my cheek. "You have no idea how happy it makes me feel to hear that, (y/n)! I must be the gladdest man in Cassardis- no, in all of Gransys!" We're both laughing with joy, and I decide to be bold. I place a hand on his cheek, and lean forward, pressing a kiss upon his soft lips.

Tough we only kissed for a few seconds, I knew that I would never forget the sensation. We pull away for air, we stare into each other's eyes with smiles brighter than the sun's reflection on the ocean in front of us.

"It's about time you two kissed!" says someone, breaking the moment. We turn to the sound to find Quinta watching us with a grin on her face. "Do you two have any idea how frustrating it's been watching you two pine for each other for years?"

Valmiro and I look back to each other and laugh, before we stand up from our spots. As we walk over to join Quina, his hand finds mine and I smile.

Everything is finally as it should be.

Besides my abnormal lack of fishing skills.

A/N: Yo! So I decided to write this because I started Dragon's Dogma recently and chose this dork as my beloved. Annnnddd as far as I'm aware, there's no fanfiction for this guy so I tried to write a little x reader for any thirsty people out there (like me). I've never written an x reader before and I'm not that great at writing, but hey, thought I could give it a shot.

Hoped you enjoyed! Please feel free to leave comments and criticism!